Case Digest (A.C. No. 5239) Core Legal Reasoning Model
Core Legal Reasoning Model
Facts:
On June 13, 2008, Carlos S. Jose purchased twenty round-trip tickets from Manila to Palawan for himself and nineteen companions at Cebu Pacific’s Robinsons Galleria branch, specifying a July 20, 2008 departure at 08:20 a.m. and a July 22, 2008 return at 4:15 p.m. After paying ₱42,957.00 by credit card, the ticketing agent printed a three-page ticket but recapped only the first page to Jose, which correctly showed the afternoon return. On July 22 the group learned at boarding that nine of them were booked on the 10:05 a.m. flight due to the third page’s schedule, triggering a last-minute rebooking costing an additional ₱65,000.00 in cash and stranding four persons overnight. Upon returning to Manila, Jose bought four more seats for ₱5,205.00. Repeated demands for reimbursement and complaints to the Department of Trade and Industry went unanswered, prompting a Complaint for Damages before the Mandaluyong Metropolitan Trial Court. The MTC found Cebu Pacific negligent for failing to Case Digest (A.C. No. 5239) Expanded Legal Reasoning Model
Expanded Legal Reasoning Model
Facts:
- Ticket Purchase
- June 13, 2008: Carlos S. Jose purchased 20 Cebu Pacific round-trip tickets from Manila to Palawan at Robinsons Galleria, specifying departure on July 20, 2008 at 08:20 and return on July 22, 2008 at 16:15; paid ₱42,957 via credit card.
- Agent (Alou) printed three-page tickets and recapped only the first page; Jose did not read the remaining pages.
- Travel Incident
- July 22, 2008: Upon check-in for the return flight, nine passengers were denied boarding because their tickets showed a 10:05 departure; the group had to rebook at an extra ₱7,000 per ticket, paying ₱65,000 in cash and leaving four behind overnight (incurring ₱5,205 in additional ticket and accommodation expenses).
- Post-incident: Jose sent demand letters (September 3, 2008; January 20, 2009) seeking reimbursement of ₱42,955; filed a DTI complaint; Cebu Pacific replied by e-mail claiming full recap had been given.
- Judicial Proceedings
- MTC Mandaluyong (Dec. 15, 2011): Ordered Cebu Pacific to pay ₱41,044.50 actual damages and ₱20,000 attorney’s fees for failing to exercise extraordinary diligence in ticketing.
- RTC Mandaluyong (Nov. 6, 2012): Affirmed MTC’s findings but deleted attorney’s fees for lack of Civil Code Article 2208 basis.
- CA (Dec. 13, 2013): Reversed lower courts; held passenger negligence in failing to review flight details; denied Cebu Pacific’s counterclaim.
- SC proceedings: Petitioners filed a Petition for Review on Certiorari with a disputed extension of time; SC chose to relax procedural rules and hear the merits.
Issues:
- Whether the Supreme Court should grant the requested extension of time for filing the petition for review on certiorari.
- Whether Cebu Pacific, as a common carrier, is liable for damages arising from issuance of tickets with an erroneous return flight schedule.
- Whether petitioners are entitled to actual, moral, and exemplary damages, and attorney’s fees.
Ruling:
- (Subscriber-Only)
Ratio:
- (Subscriber-Only)
Doctrine:
- (Subscriber-Only)